6 things Koos Bekker could buy if he sold his Naspers shares tomorrow

Naspers is big. Very big. As in a market cap of US$ 21.3-billion big. A large portion of that is down to its explosive growth since 2008. CEO Koos Bekker has overseen much of that growth, benefiting all the while through the 11.7-million direct and indirect shares he holds in the company.

In fact, it’s estimated that Bekker’s shares in the company are currently worth around R6-billion (US$730-million). That’s some serious pocket change. Then again this is a man who can lose US$80-million without blinking.

But let’s say he had to sell all those share tomorrow. Let’s also say he had to spend it all in a massive splurge (unlikely we know). What could he buy? Ventureburn decided to help him out.

1. 11 Gulfstream G650 luxury jets

The CEO of a multi-billion dollar multi-national company needs to be able to travel in style. And you don’t get much more stylish than the G650 when it comes to private jets. Bekker could buy 11 of these bad boys at 2011 prices and still have money left over a fairly substantial amount of fuel.

2. Cape Town Stadium

Naspers HQ is in Cape Town. Like a number of South African cities it got a brand new stadium when the country hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010. If the stadium’s current owners, the City of Cape Town, were willing to part ways with the stadium for construction costs (a steal at US$ 600-million), Bekker could still have enough left over to buy himself a fairly decent football team to play there. And he could probably peer at his new asset from the top of the Naspers building.

3. 19 Robin van Persies

Speaking of football teams. In case you’ve had your head buried in the sand over the past few days, Manchester United recently doled out £ 24-million (US$37.7-million) for Arsenal striker Robin van Persie. At that price Bekker could buy 19 van Persies and a fairly decent goalkeeper too.

4. The third and fourth most expensive private yachts on the planet

Admittedly the owners of the world’s super yachts are in a completely different league to Bekker. These things take a lot of money to maintain and staff. But we’re not saying that the Naspers CEO needs to use these bad boys on a regular basis, just buy them.

Yacht number four is currently owned by Sultan Qoobas bin Said al Said, Sultan of Oman and costs somewhere between US$200 and 300-million and comes in at a length of 508 feet. Number three meanwhile is worth US$350-million and is owned by Shiek Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE.

5. An island like Larry Ellison’s

A couple of months ago, Oracle founder Larry Ellison bought the island of Lanai, Hawaii’s sixth-largest island for around US$500-million. Of course that wouldn’t leave much money for a pimping beach shack.

We’d suggest Bekker go with something a little more modest, like this beauty in The Bahamas and gear it out to the max.

6. 270 Bugatti Veyron Super Sports

A man’s gotta ride in style and nothing says “I’m ridiculously rich than this bad boy from Bugatti. And just imagine the carnage you could cause with 270 of them. Bekker isn’t exactly renowned for his inner child, but this purchase could unleash it in a very big way.